Is Juicing Healthy?

If you’re wondering if juicing is healthy and something that you should be doing, this article is for you. There’s been a lot of buzz in the last couple of years about the tremendous health benefits of juicing. Its true. Juicing can be really healthy but there are a few things you should know before you jump right in and get started. I’m a big fan of juicing but its important that you understand the pro’s and con’s, because yes, there are some con’s of juicing:

The con’s of juicing:

• I’m stating the obvious here. . . you need a juicer and they can be a bit pricey. There are lots of different models on the market so shop around.
• When you juice, the juicer spits out the fiber and the juice separately which means that there’s no fiber left when you drink the juice. Since one of the big benefits of fresh vegetables and fruits is fiber, so when you juice, you’re missing out on the digestive effects of fiber.
• Since there’s no fiber to slow down absorption, the juice will hit your blood stream FAST! This is great for an immediate energy boost, but not so good if you’re hypoglycemic, pre-diabetic, or diabetic. If you have any of these blood sugar regulation concerns, smoothies with protein (like Shakeology) pack a nutritious punch are often a better choice.
• To make juice taste really delicious, especially when you first start juicing, many people use beets, apples, pineapple, or carrots as the base. When you remove all the roughage from these fruits and starchy vegetables, what you’ve got left is a whole lot of sugar. Celery, cucumbers, or other fresh vegetables make a much better insulin-friendly juice that won’t spike your blood sugar.

The pro’s of juicing:

• Juicing is a much better shot of energy than coffee in the morning. Its loaded with vitamins and minerals from high quality produce that nourish your body and provide sustained, long-lasting energy.
• Its quick and easy to juice whatever you have in the fridge and it makes short work of an over abundance of fresh vegetables from the garden or mid-summer CSA share.
• You can get a lot more fresh vegetables and herbs into your diet each day by juicing than you normally would, especially ones that you may not like on their own.
• The vitamins and minerals in fresh juice are fully intact because they haven’t been destroyed or denatured by heating (cooking, steaming, boiling, frying, etc).
• Juicing is incredibly detoxifying. By providing your body loads of high quality produce packed with vitamins and minerals, you give it much of what it needs to detoxify effectively.
• When you juice, the juice comes out one spout and all the roughage comes out the other. Instead of tossing or composting the roughage, you can use it to make things like veggie burgers or carrot cake. . . get creative.

There are pro’s and con’s when it comes to juicing, but for most people, the pro’s far outweigh the con’s. Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did. The key to making juicing healthy is to keep the sugar in your juice low. Go for greens, cucumbers, celery, and other non-starchy veggies before you add in lots of starchy fresh vegetables like beets and carrots and fruits like apples, watermelon, and pineapple. Half a fresh lemon is also great in juice as it keeps it fresh, prevents oxidation, and alkalizes your body. Drink it fresh and drink it often!